System and method for processing an x-ray image of an organ

ABSTRACT

A system and a method for indicating at least one of the internal structures of an organ on an X-ray image are proposed. The system includes an interface adapted to receive the X-ray image and a non-X-ray image pertaining to the organ. The system also includes a database having a geometric model of the internal structures of the organ, a first module for determining at least a dimension of one of the internal structures of the organ from the non-X-ray image, and a second module for indicating the at least one of the internal structures of the organ in the X-ray image based on the geometric model adjusted by the at least one dimension.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of India application No. 842/KOL/2011filed Jun. 24, 2011, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present application relates to a system and a method for processingan X-ray image of an organ.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Physicians use X-ray images for diagnosis, medical interventions,surgical procedures, et cetera. For example, in fluoroscopy a series oflive X-ray images are displayed during an intervention to give anorientation to the physicians. One of the widely used interventions is acatheter based treatment of the heart termed as Valvuloplasty. X-rayimages enhance the visualisation of bones and hard tissues in comparisonwith organs, whereas they provide only a faint outline of the organ.This leads to a situation wherein the internal structures of the organare not being easily identifiable by X-ray images, as they are notindicative in the X-ray image.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,697,972 relates to an image guided navigation system fortracking the location of a catheter in a region of a patient based onmultiple fluoroscopic images of the region. Exposing a patient tofluoroscopy throughout the intervention exposes both the patient andradiographers to harmful radiation.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present application seeks to process an X-ray image of an organ toincrease the visibility of internal structures of the organ in the X-rayimage.

The above objective is achieved by a system and a method according tothe claims.

The visibility of an internal structure of an organ in an X-ray image ofthe organ is enhanced by determining a dimension of the internalstructure from a non-X-ray image of the organ, retrieving a geometricmodel of the internal structure, which substantially coincides with thedetermined dimension, from a database of geometric models of theinternal structure based on different dimensions of the internalstructures, adjusting the geometric model for obtaining an approximatephysical representation of the internal structure, and indicating theadjusted geometric model of the internal structure on the X-ray image ofthe organ.

In an embodiment, the database of the system has a plurality ofgeometric models of the one of the internal structures of the organbased on a plurality of characteristics of a patient—for example, age,sex, body surface area, race, et cetera, because the dimensions of theinternal structures vary based on the aforesaid characteristics, so thatthe geometric model chosen from the database, based on the determineddimension for indicating the internal structure of the organ, isadjusted depending on the characteristics of the patient for obtaining agood starting point for indicating the internal structure on the X-rayimage.

In another embodiment, the database of the system has a multitude ofgeometric models of the corresponding internal structures pertaining todifferent types of organ—for example, heart, liver, kidney, et cetera,so that the system with the database is used for indicating differentinternal structures corresponding to different types of organs mandatingonly marginal modifications to the imaging system.

In yet another embodiment, the second module is adapted to derive theperiphery of the organ from the X-ray image received for aligning thegeometric model of the one of the internal structures of the organ withrespect to the periphery of the organ for indicating the internalstructures in the X-ray image, as the periphery of the organ is easilyidentified from the X-ray image and is a good reference for aligning theinternal structure based on the geometric model to get an accuratealignment of the internal structures in the geometric model with theactual internal structure of the organ.

In yet another embodiment, the second module is adapted to project a 2Drepresentation of the geometric model of the internal structures of theorgan on the X-ray image of the organ, thereby supporting the projectionof any of the type of geometric models of the internal structures storedin the database on the X-ray image, as the 2D representation of the anyof the type of geometric models is the one that is projected on theX-ray image.

In yet another embodiment, the interface of the system is integratedwith an X-ray imaging device for acquiring the X-ray image. In yetanother variation of the embodiment, the interface of the system isfurther integrated with a non-X-ray imaging device for acquiring thenon- X-ray image of the organ, thereby rendering the system theadditional capability of generating X-ray images and non-X-ray images ofthe organ of the patient along with processing the X-ray and thenon-X-ray images. These enhance the capability of the system byproviding a complete solution during a surgical, a therapeutic or adiagnostic procedure, whereby the X-ray and non-X-ray images pertainingto the organ of the patient are procured by the system and are processedfor indicating the one of the internal structures of the organ in theX-ray image based on the geometric model retrieved from the database.

In an embodiment, the geometric model is adapted in the at least onedimension of the one of the internal structures of the organ forgenerating a geometric model that substantially coincides with the atleast one dimension of the one of the internal structures of the organof the patient, which enhances the accuracy of the indication ofinternal structures of the organ on the X-ray image adapted to thecharacteristics of the patient.

In another embodiment, the geometric model of the one of the internalstructures of the organ based on the at least one dimension issuperimposed on the X-ray image of the organ for indicating the at leastone of the internal structures of the organ in the non-X-ray image ontothe X-ray image, which renders increased identifiableness of theinternal structures of the organ on the X-ray image.

In yet another embodiment, the periphery of the organ is derived fromthe X-ray image for using it as a reference for aligning the geometricmodel of the at least one of the internal structures of the organ, whichenhances the visual clarity of depicting the one of the internalstructures of the organ on the X-ray image when indicated based on theperiphery of the organ.

In yet another embodiment, the image obtained by indicating the at leastone of the internal structures of the organ based on the at least onedimension on the X-ray image pertaining to the organ is displayed, whichillustrates the internal structures of the organ generated from thenon-X-ray image on the X-ray image of the organ renders assistanceduring medical interventions, surgical procedures, administeringmedicines, diagnostic procedures, et cetera.

In yet another embodiment, at least one of the internal structures of aheart is indicated on an X-ray image of the heart. In a variation ofthis embodiment, at least a dimension of one of the internalstructures—a ventricle, an atrium, a chamber, an artery, a valve, anauricle, a vein, an aorta, a brevis, a cava, and their combinations, isdetermined from a non-X-ray image of the heart, which renders assistanceduring a surgical procedure, a medical intervention, or diagnosis, etcetera related to the cardiac region.

The aforementioned and other embodiments of the application related tothe system and the method for processing the X-ray image will now beaddressed with reference to the accompanying drawings of the presentapplication. The illustrated embodiments are intended to illustrate, butnot to limit the application. The accompanying drawings contain thefollowing figures, in which like numbers refer to like parts, throughoutthe description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures illustrate in a schematic manner further examples of theembodiments of the application, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a clinical room having the system processing an X-rayimage and an echocardiogram of the cardiac region of the patient,integrated with the system is an X-ray machine, an echocardiograph, anda display unit,

FIG. 2 depicts an echocardiogram of the heart and its internalstructures obtained from the echocardiograph referred to in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 depicts the periphery of the heart of the patient as seen fromthe X-ray image of the cardiac region of the patient referred to in FIG.1,

FIG. 4 depicts the various components of the system referred to in FIG.1 and its interconnections,

FIG. 5 depicts the various components of the second module of the systemreferred to in FIG. 4 and its interconnections,

FIG. 6 depicts a hierarchical structure of a database in the systemreferred to FIG. 1 having a plurality of geometric models of theinternal structures of a heart based on a plurality of characteristicsof the patient,

FIGS. 7 a-7 c depicts the registration of the geometric models of theinternal structures of the heart on to image of the periphery of theheart referred to in FIG. 3,

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart of the method of processing the X-ray imageof the organ

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

A clinical room 1 with the system 2 for processing the X-ray image 3 ofthe heart 4 of the patient for indicating at least one of the internalstructures 5 of the heart 4—left ventricle, right ventricle, aorta,septum, et cetera, of the patient that is in an embodiment isillustrated in FIG. 1. The system 2 is integrated with a C-armfluoroscope 6—an X-ray imaging device primarily comprising a C-shapedbeam 7 integrated with an X-ray source 8 and an X-ray receiver 9 alongwith a digital flat-panel X-ray imager 10, for capturing at least anX-ray image 3 of the cardiac region 11 of the patient. The system 2 isalso integrated with an echocardiograph 12—a non-X-ray imaging deviceprimarily comprising an ultrasound device 13 and an ultrasound probe 14along with a visual display unit 15, for indicating an echocardiogram 16of the patient. The system 2 is adapted to receive X-ray images 3 andechocardiograms 16 captured from the fluoroscope 6 and theechocardiograph 12 respectively, wherein they are further processed toindicate the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 on the X-ray image 3of the heart 4. A display unit 17 is integrated with the system 2 forrendering visual depiction of the superimposed image 18 obtained aftersuperimposing the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 on the X-rayimage 3 of the heart 4. The system 2 will be elaborated in detail withrespect to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

The system 2 is capable of working independently by receiving andprocessing the X-ray images 3 and non-X-ray images 16 for indicating theinternal structures 5 of the heart 4 on the X-ray image 3 of the heart4, and is independent of its integration with the C-arm fluoroscope 6and echocardiograph 12. Nevertheless, the C-arm fluoroscope 6 integratedwith the system 2 for producing digital X-ray images 3 is replaceablewith an X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) device, conventional X-ray deviceproducing conventional X-ray images, or any other device that producesX-ray images 3, can be used for producing the X-ray images andintegrated with the system. Similarly, the echocardiograph 12 forproducing non-X-ray images in the form of echocardiograms 16 integratedwith the system 2 can be substituted with any of the devices forproducing non-X-ray images, for example, a Magnetic Resonance Imager(MRI), a CT imager, a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imager, anisocentric fluoroscopy imager, a bi-plane fluoroscopy imager, anultrasound imager, a multi-slice CT imager, a high-frequency ultrasoundimager, an optical coherence tomography imager, an intra-vascularultrasound imager, an ultrasound imager, an intra-operative CT imager,an intra-operative MRI, a single photon emission CT imager, et cetera.

FIG. 2 depicts a closer view of the echocardiogram 16 of the patient,where further details of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 areindicated, for example—left atrium 19, left ventricle 20, et cetera. Thebidirectional arrows indicate a plurality of dimensions that correspondto the various internal structures of the heart 4, for example, thelength 21 of the left atrium 19, the length 22 of the left ventricle 20,the width 23 of the left ventricle 20, et cetera. The manner in whichthese dimensions 21-23, which are derived from the non-X-ray image 16,are used for indicating the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 on theX-ray image 3 of the heart 4 will be explained in detail with referenceto the FIG. 3-FIG. 8.

Periphery 24 of the heart 4 as seen from the X-ray image 3 of thecardiac region 11 of the patient is depicted in FIG. 3, and theperiphery 24 so observed is a very faint outline of the heart 4.Furthermore, the X-ray image 3 of the heart 4 does not depict theinternal structures 5 of the heart 5 as it is observable from theechocardiogram 16. The objective lies in indicating the internalstructures 5 of the heart 4 that are seen on the echocardiogram 16 onthe X-ray image 3 of the heart 4, in which the periphery 24 of the heart4 will be used as the reference to align the internal structures 5 ofthe heart 4 on the X-ray image 3, and the means of achieving the aboveobjective will be expounded in detail in FIG. 4-FIG. 8.

FIG. 4 depicts the parts of the system 2 for indicating the internalstructures 5 of the heart 4 in another embodiment, wherein the system 2has an X-ray image processing unit 25 that receives the digital X-rayimage 3 of the cardiac region 11 produced from the digital flat panelX-ray imager 10, an echocardiogram processing unit 26 that receives theechocardiogram 16 of the heart 4 from the echocardiograph 12. Thecombination—the X-ray image processing unit 25 and the echocardiogramprocessing unit 26, forms the interface 27 of the system 2, therebyrendering the capability to the system 2 for receiving both X-ray images3 and non-X-ray images 16. The components of the interface 27 forprocessing the X-ray images 3 and the non-X-ray images 16 can be aprocessor, or a processor on chip, an integrated chip, a software modulecapable of processing digital images, et cetera.

The echocardiogram processing unit 26 has a first module 28 connected tothe interface 27 for determining at least one of the dimensions 21-23 ofthe internal structures 5 of the heart 4, and the at least one of thedimensions 21-23 is communicated to a database 29 comprising a pluralityof geometric models 30, 31 of the internal structures 5, for retrievinga geometric model 30 of the one of the internal structures 5 of theheart 4 that corresponds to the at least one of the determineddimensions 21-23.

Geometric models 30, 31 of the internal structures 5 are geometricrepresentations of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4, based onvarious dimensions 21-23 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4.These models 30, 31 are defined by a plurality of model parameters thatcorrespond to the various dimensions 21-23 of the internal structures ofthe organ, and the plurality of model parameters are based on the typeof modelling used to arrive at the geometric models 30, 31. Themodelling methods can either be mathematical, or mesh-based,electromechanical, computational, biomechanical, anatomical, et cetera.Furthermore, the models also depend on other characteristics of thepatient—sex, race, age group, body type, et cetera. The geometric models30, 31 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 retrieved from thedatabase 29 based on one or more dimensions 21-23 is capable ofsubstantially defining and emulating the actual physical aspects—shape,thickness, orientation, et cetera, of the internal structures 5 of theheart 4. The database 29 renders two dimensional (2D) representations ofthe geometrical models 30, 31, which facilitate the representation ofthe internal structures 5 of the heart 4 on the X-ray image 3, which isa 2D image represented on a 2D plane.

With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the dimensions 21-23 of theinternal structures 5 of the heart 4 can either be determined manually(not shown) or determined automatically (not shown) using the firstmodule 28. The first module 28 may comprise a visual interface (notshown) with image markers and cursors (not shown), which facilitate themanual determination of the dimensions 21-23 of the internal structures5 of the heart 4—the distance between two extreme chosen points on theleft ventricle 20 along the longitudinal axis of symmetry (not shown) ofthe left ventricle 20 on the echocardiogram 16 in FIG. 2 corresponds tothe Euclidean distance between the two points, which can be construed asthe length 22 of the left ventricle 20 of the patient. In a furtherexample, the first module 28 may comprise an image processing unit (notshown)—capable of segmenting and processing non-X-ray images 16, whichmeasures distances that correspond to the distance between two chosenpixels (not shown), which indicates two different points on the internalstructure 5 of the heart 4 as depicted by FIG. 2, for example, the imageprocessing unit determines the width 23 of the left ventricle 20 byprocessing the non-X-ray image 16 corresponding to internal structures 5of the heart 4, in this case by processing the echocardiogram 16 of thepatient.

The corresponding geometric model 30 retrieved from the database 29 isfed to a second module 32 of the system 2, which further adjusts thegeometric model 30 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 forindicating the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 on the X-ray image 3of the heart 4. The various components of the second module 32 will beexpounded with reference to FIG. 5, and the structure and the hierarchyof the database 29 comprising the geometric models 30, 31 will beexplained with reference to FIG. 6, which put together perform theaforesaid to accomplish the objective.

The various components of the second module 32—a geometric modeladjusting unit 33, a periphery deriving unit 34, and an imageregistration unit 35, are illustrated in FIG. 5. The geometric modeladjusting unit 33 of the second module 32 retrieves the geometric model30 from the database 29 that substantially corresponds to at least oneof the determined dimensions 21-23 of the internal structures 5 of theheart 4 of the patient, and further adjusts the retrieved geometricmodel 30 to coincide with the actual dimensions 21-23 of the internalstructures 5 of the heart 4 of the patient. These adjustments to thegeometric model 30 are to be construed as minor variations to thephysical aspects of the internal structures 5—shape, size, orientation,wall thickness, et cetera, represented by the retrieved geometric model30, in order to make it coincide with the actual determined dimensions21-23 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 of the patient, forobtaining a very close geometrical representation of the internalstructures 5 of the heart of the patient. These adjustments can beeffectuated by image processing algorithms used for extrapolation andreshaping to adjust existing geometric models 30, 31 based on requireddimensions 21-23. The adjusted model—the geometrical model 30 obtainedafter performing the aforementioned adjustments may be stored in anotherdatabase, which can be accessed and recalled for indicating the internalstructures 5 of the heart 4 on the X-ray image 3 of the heart 4.

The periphery deriving unit 34 receives the X-ray image 3 correspondingto the heart 4, and processes the X-ray image 3 to derive the periphery24 of the heart 4—a 2D outline of the heart 4, which is used foraligning the geometrical model 30 of the internal structures 5 of theheart 4 obtained from the database 30 based on the dimensions 21-23 ofthe internal structure 5 determined from the echocardiogram 16 of thepatient. For example, the periphery deriving unit 34 may comprise imageprocessing modules applied on the digital X-ray image 3 of the cardiacregion 11 for detecting the boundary of the heart 4 leading to thederivation of periphery 24 of the organ. In another example, derivationof the periphery 24 can be based on segmentation of the digital X-rayimage 3 and then applying boundary detection techniques to derive theperiphery 24 of the heart 4 in the X-ray image 3. The derived periphery24 is rendered to image registration unit 35, which registers theadjusted geometric model 30 of the internal structure 5 of the heart 4on to the X-ray image 3, by aligning and orienting the geometric models30, 31 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 based on thedimensions 21-23 determined, by taking the periphery 24 of the heart 4as a reference, in a manner such that the geometrical models 30, 31 ofthe internal structures 5 along with the periphery 24 accuratelyrepresents the manner in which the internals structures 5 are foundinside the heart 4, which is depicted in FIG. 7 a-7 c. The imageregistration unit 35 can also superimpose or project the geometricmodels 30, 31 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 onto theperiphery 24 of the heart 4, with the objective of depicting theinternal structures 5 of the heart 4 in an indicative manner as to howthe internal structures 5 are present inside the heart 4 in FIG. 7 a-7c.

The database 29 of the geometric models 30, 31 of the internalstructures 5 of the heart 4 of the patient in an embodiment isillustrated in FIG. 6, where the architecture and hierarchy of thedatabase 29 is implemented as a tree data structure 36, with a root node37 and a plurality of parent and child nodes 38-42. The root node 37indicates that the database 29 comprises geometrical models 30, 31 ofinternal structures 5 of organs found in a human body, and this database29 is primarily segmented into two broad categories based on sex—maleand female, and the further levels of stratifications in the individualcategories are done based on the plurality of characteristics of thepatient—race, organ type, internal structure of the organ, age group, etcetera.

Standard geometrical models 30, 31 of the internal structures of theorgan of the patient defined by a set of standard model parameters 43corresponding to a standard dimension 44 of the internal structure5—varying across demography, are stored in the database 29 in the formof a list. The set of standard model parameters 43 are based on themodelling methods used to arrive at the geometric models 30, 31 ofinternal structures 5 of the organ 4. These geometric models 30, 31 canbe either 2D, or 3D, et cetera, and are capable of being represented as2D models for further processing and for indicating these models 30, 31on the X-ray image 3 of the organ 4, and can be modelled usingmathematical, electromechanical, mesh, biomechanical methods, et cetera.

The set of standard model parameters 43 pertaining to the standarddimension 44 of the internal structure 5 of the organ 4 is stored in ahierarchical manner and to access the set of standard model parameters43 the database 29 is traversed in an orderly manner. For example, forobtaining the set of model parameters 43 of the left ventricle 20measuring 1.32 centimetres in length 22, for a 25-year old Caucasianmale patient, the database 29 can be traversed in the path as indicatedby the reference sign sequence: 37, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49, whichcorresponds to the set of standard model parameters 43 of the leftventricle 20 measuring 1.3 centimetres in length 22 for a Caucasian malebelonging to the age group—20 to 30 years, as this set 43 is the onethat substantially coincides with the required dimension 44. The chosenset of standard model parameters 43 is rendered to the geometric modeladjusting unit 33 for further adjustment of the set of standard modelparameters 43 to generate the geometric model 30 of the left ventricle20 measuring 1.32 centimetres in length 22 that corresponds to the25-year old Caucasian male patient.

The database 29 described above and illustrated in FIG. 6 has beenimplemented as a combination of a tree type data structure 36 and a listtype data structure 30, but the database 29 can be implemented in othermanners and combinations such as arrays, linked lists, heaps, matrices,queues, multi-way trees, et cetera. Additionally, there can be otherpatient characteristics that may be included in the database 29depending on the level and detail of stratifications required.Furthermore, as the database 29 is a memory element, it can be realisedusing hard disk drives, flash memories, processor cache memories, readonly memories, or its combinations, et cetera.

FIG. 7 a-7 c depicts the process of superimposing the adjustedgeometrical models 30, 31 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 onthe X-ray image 3 of cardiac region 11, by aligning the geometricalmodels 30, 31—adjusted based on the determined dimensions 21-23 of theinternal structure 5 determined from the echocardiogram 16, with theperiphery 24 of the heart 4 in a manner such that the localisation ofthe internal structures 5 on the X-ray image 3 of the heart 4 depict thetrue manner in which they are located inside the heart 4 of the patient.

All the processing modules and units described above can be integratedinto one unit, such as a processor for performing the aforementionedfunctions or can function separately or can be selectively combined toachieve the aforementioned objective. These units can be embedded intoan integrated chip or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASCI),et cetera with inbuilt memory devices or peripheral memory devices tohost the database 29.

A flowchart of the method of processing the X-ray image 3 of anorgan—for example, a heart of the patient, in an embodiment has beendepicted in FIG. 8. The method involves a step of receiving 50 the X-rayimage 3 of the cardiac region 11 and receiving 51 the non-X-ray image16, determining 52 the dimensions 21-23 of the internal structures 5 ofthe heart 4 from the non-X-ray image 16, referring 53 to the database 29of geometric models 30, 31 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4and retrieving the geometric model 30 corresponding to the determineddimensions 21-23 and adjusting the geometric model 30 based on thedetermined dimensions 21-23 and indicating 54 the geometrical model 30of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 on the X-ray image 3 of thecardiac region 11.

The non-X-ray image 16—for example an echocardiogram 16 of the patient,is received and processed for determining the different dimensions 21-23of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4. For example, the ultrasounddevice 13 can be used to obtain echocardiograms 16 of the heart 4 and animage pertaining to a frame of an echocardiogram 16 can be processed todetermine the dimensions of the internal structures 5—either manually orby using image processing modules. Similarly, the X-ray image 3, forexample, from the C-arm fluoroscope 6 is processed to determine theperiphery 24 of the heart 4. The database 29 comprising a plurality ofgeometric models 30, 31 of the internal structures 5 of the heart 4based on various dimensions 21-23 of the internal structures 5 isreferred to and the geometric model 30 that substantially corresponds tothe determined dimensions 21-23 is retrieved. The retrieved geometricmodel 30 is adjusted based on the determined dimensions 21-23 of theinternal structures 5 of the heart 4 and the geometric model 30 isindicated on the X-ray image 3 of the cardiac region 11, by aligning thegeometric model 30 by using the periphery 24 of the heart 4 as referencesuch that the geometric model 30 of the internal structure 5 whensuperimposed on the X-ray image 3 accurately depicts the manner in whichthe internal structure 5 is located inside the heart 4.

The method of processing the X-ray image 3 of the heart 4 by indicatingon the X-ray image 3 the internal structures 5 of the heart 4 obtainedby processing non-X-ray images 16 of the heart 4 and retrievingappropriate geometric models 30, 31 of the internal structures 5 of theheart 4, it can be used to in performing medical interventions, forexample during Valvuloplasty, which involves the insertion of a catheterand puncturing the inter-atria septum to gain access to the mitralvalve. The thickness of the septum—one of the internal structures 5 ofthe heart 4, is determined for accurately puncturing the septum.Furthermore, as the step of indicating involves a process ofregistration, the database 29 can comprise geometric models 30, 31 ofthe internal structures 5 of the heart 4 pertaining to differentangulations of C-arm fluoroscope 6, so that the registration of theimage is doable for any angulations of the C-arm fluoroscope 6. Thesuperimposition of the appropriate geometric models 30, 31 of theinternal structures 5 of the heart 4 on to the X-ray image 3 of thecardiac region 11, renders good visibility and identifiableness of theinternal structures 5 of the heart 4, and the medical intervention isperformed in a facile manner.

Although the application broadly relates to the processing of X-rayimages of an organ, and has been specifically explained in terms ofprocessing of X-ray images of the heart, for rendering good clarity tothe application, the heart has been taken as an example and theapplication is extendable to process X-ray images of other organs usingnon-X-ray images of the other organs by using the description and theaforementioned embodiments. Though the application has been describedwith reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant tobe construed in a limiting sense. Various examples of the disclosedembodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the application, willbecome apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to thedescription of the application. It is therefore contemplated that suchmodifications can be made without departing from the embodiments of thepresent application as defined.

1. A system for processing an X-ray image of an organ, comprising: aninterface adapted to receive the X-ray image of the organ and anon-X-ray image of the organ; a database comprising a geometric model ofan internal structure of the organ; a first module for determining adimension of the internal structure of the organ from the non-X-rayimage; and a second module for indicating the internal structure of theorgan in the X-ray image based on the geometric model adjusted by thedimension.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the databasecomprises a plurality of geometric models corresponding to a pluralityof internal structures of the organ, wherein the second module isadapted to select one of the geometric models based on a characteristicof a patient for the adjustment.
 3. The system according to claim 1,wherein the database further comprises a plurality of geometric modelscorresponding to a plurality of internal structures of a plurality oforgan types.
 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the secondmodule is adapted to derive a periphery of the organ from the X-rayimage and to indicate the internal structure of the organ in the X-rayimage in alignment to the periphery.
 5. The system according to claim 1,wherein the second module is adapted to project a 2D representation ofthe geometric model of the internal structures of the organ on the X-rayimage of the organ.
 6. The system according to claim 1, furthercomprising an X-ray imaging device linked with the interface foracquiring the X-ray image of the organ.
 7. The system according to claim1, further comprising a non-X-ray imaging device linked to the interfacefor acquiring the non-X-ray image.
 8. A method for indicating aninternal structure of an organ in an X-ray image of the organ,comprising: receiving the X-ray image of the organ and a non-X-ray imageof the organ; determining a dimension of the internal structure of theorgan from the non-X-ray image; selecting a geometric model of theinternal structure of the organ appropriate with the dimensiondetermined from a database; and indicating the internal structure of theorgan in the X-ray image based on the geometric model adjusted by thedimension.
 9. The method according to claim 8, further comprisingadapting the database for receiving the dimension of the internalstructure of the organ and mapping the dimension with the geometricmodel in the database.
 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein theinternal structure of the organ is indicated in the X-ray image bysuperimposing the geometric model of the internal structure of the organon the X-ray image of the organ.
 11. The method according to claim 8,wherein a periphery of the organ is derived from the X-ray image forindicating the internal structure of the organ in the X-ray image inalignment to the periphery.
 12. The method according to claim 8, furthercomprising displaying the X-ray image with the internal structure of theorgan indicated in the X-ray image.
 13. The method according to claim 8,wherein the organ is a heart of a patient.
 14. The method according toclaim 8, wherein the dimension of the internal structure of the organcomprises a ventricle, an atrium, a chamber, an artery, a valve, anauricle, a vein, an aorta, a brevis, a cava, and a combination thereof.